When a relative asked me to write about my family’s Catholic background, it felt like an adventure into the unknown. I’ve always been curious about our past, and this seemed like the perfect excuse to dig into the stories that shaped us. What I found was a tapestry of faith, family, and history that goes…

As 2025 began, a significant event in Cologne, Germany, was a proof of the commitment of young Catholics from across Europe and highlighted the growing faith among Irish youth. The SEEK conference, organised by the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), brought together over 500 young Catholics for four days of spiritual renewal, fellowship, and…

There is nothing as psychologically and morally dangerous as lying, as denying the truth. Jesus warns us that we can commit a sin that is unforgivable which (in his words) is a blaspheme against the Holy Spirit. What is this sin? Why is it unforgivable? And how is it linked to not telling the truth?…

Catechesis on creation is of major importance. It concerns the very foundations of human and Christian life: for it makes explicit the response of the Christian faith to the basic question that men of all times have asked themselves. Human intelligence can find a response to the question of origins which can be known with…

Who couldn’t use a miracle right about now? After weeks of parties and packages, planning and platters, the world returns to something vaguely normal. Our waistlines are bigger, and our to-do lists are smaller. Christmas is in the rear-view mirror. The trees have been tossed to the curb. The lights have burned out. The toys…

St Anthony the Great or St Anthony the Abbot was born in a village on the left bank of the Nile, Egypt, in the 3rd Century AD. At the age of 20, moved by the Scripture verse “Go, sell what you have and give to the poor” (Mark 10:21), renounced everything he had to live…

“He was amazed at their lack of faith.” What a sentence! It was said two thousand years ago but could be said today. Jesus did beautiful things, he did great things, but all as people could say was “who does he think he is – sure he’s just but a carpenter.” Isn’t it extraordinary that…

Rather than supporting the growth of commercial technology and artificial intelligence, governments should be supporting families and educators in being the main channels of passing on culture and values, Pope Francis told ambassadors and other diplomats accredited to the Holy See. “Here we see the importance of media literacy education, which aims to provide the…

The Magi’s path invites all pilgrims of hope to look beyond earthly appearances, writes Fr Barry White We have entered the Holy Year of Jubilee 2025, inaugurated by Pope Francis on Christmas Eve with the opening of the Holy Door. The theme, Pilgrims of Hope, invites reflection on hope’s transformative power in our lives. Hope…

The season of Advent has been a time of preparation for the great Feast of Christmas. The feeling of anticipation built as we got ever closer, week by week. The candles on the Advent wreath got lit, one by one. Their glow became ever brighter. What was it that we anticipated? The celebration of the…